Evans, 30, could be a nice complement to Anquan Boldin, whose strength is working the middle of the field on intermediate routes. Evans is an outside receiver who's a vertical threat—something the Ravens lacked last season.

"Last year, they basically had three No. 3s with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Derrick Mason and Boldin," NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said. "In that playoff game (a loss to the Steelers), they couldn't get separation, they couldn't get deep. I think you've got to find somebody who can take advantage of (quarterback) Joe Flacco's great vertical arm.

"If this guy can still run and still be a threat and win on the outside, maybe he can be that guy."

Although his numbers fell off the past two seasons, Evans has 43 career touchdowns and an impressive career average of 15.7 yards per catch. Only Green Bay's Greg Jennings (16.2) and San Francisco's Braylon Edwards (15.8) have higher averages among active receivers with at least 300 receptions, according to ESPN's Stats & Informaton..

In 13 games last year, Evans caught 37 passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns. His best season came in 2006, when he caught 82 passes for 1,292 yards and eight TDs.

With Evans as a starter, the Ravens can use second-round pick Torrey Smith as the No. 3 receiver rather than force-feeding him the No. 2 job. The Ravens hope rookie Tandon Doss, a fourth-round selection, can also contribute to the passing game.